This document provides guidance for reading social studies passages. It advises the reader to look for important dates, cultural movements, and key arguments. Most passages will come from journal articles covering topics in social sciences. Readers are told to actively engage with the text by identifying the thesis, causal relationships, definitions, comparisons, viewpoints, sequences of events, potential biases, and those who may agree or disagree.

1. Social Studies

2.  You will be reading about cultural or political
movements, important dates, time periods, and key
arguments.
 Most of these passages come from journal articles
covering
sociology, anthropology, economics, psychology, politi
cal science, education, and history.

3.  You will need to read actively:
 Get a sense of what the topic is (thesis statement)
 Look for cause and effect relationships
 If a definition is given in a passage, star or underline the
definition
 Look for comparisons (relationships) made by the
author
 Normally, you will read about varying viewpoints or
arguments.

4.  If you come across unfamiliar vocabulary, replace it
with a word you know (use context clues).
 Find the sequence of events or the process such as how
a bill becomes a law.
 Look for biases from the author.
 Pay attention to who would or would not agree with
this viewpoint.